Seismic protection of new and existing buildings using an innovative isolation system

Abstract

The aseismic isolation system MNB whose purpose is to reduce earthquake damage in new and existing buildings is herein proposed. The system is based on the kinematics of a group of high strength steel spheres or cylinders placed between two horizontal steel plates under axial compress loads. The basic strategy for this isolation system is to cut-off the load transmission path of the seismic action. Each sphere of the group is subjected to compression load and horizontal movement of the lower plate connected to the ground, (Figure 1), where the displacement of the centre of the sphere is equal to the half of the displacement of the background (Thales theory of proportion). [excerpt from Description]